A different kind of neighbor problem

[sharkford]

Well, you could agitate with your local lawmakers to limit parking to a certain number of hours, or even to ban it completely on the grounds that the street is too narrow. If his parking is within the limits of current law, there really is no right way to approach him without appearing unreasonable, because your desire is inherently unreasonable. Asking someone to limit their legal use of a public resource is really out of line.

If your could articulate some concrete benefit -- like you wanted the spot for your own car, which has to be *somewhere* on the street so it might as well be there -- then you could simply ask for the favour and owe him one. Do not imagine that concern for the elderly neighbour and the letter carrier represents a real benefit; these are shams to cover up for your control needs. The Post Office is finding your mailbox just fine (hint: it's their job, and there's harder ones than yours), and if granny can't back out of her driveway without being a hazard, it's time to take her license away.

But really, Susie, you need to move to a nice controlled community, like a condo development or a homeowner's association area, where the rulemakers think like you. In fact I suspect you will find yourself welcomed into the ranks of the governing committees. Like many people, you will never be happy in a free society. After you bully your neighbour into ceasing this perfectly legal behaviour you will find something else to complain about.

The car, by the way, is a classic, a more sensible person would be tickled to see it.

S.

[kzinNOSPAM99]

Oh please. I suspect very few of us wouldn't get a bit peeved if a neighbor decided to continually park in front of our house. What's the matter with the street in front of their house? You feel that because granny across the street has trouble backing out of her driveway because there is now a car cutting off her turning radius by 6 feet that she should be denied the privilege of driving? As opposed to the neighbor parking their car a few feet further down the road? Sheesh, community is just that, community. And finding the appropriate balance of compromises that minimizes the inconvenience the entire community suffers. In this case it's almost certainly the neighbor parking a few feet down the road.

ml

[G Henslee]

I put up with a d*****ad tenant who lived next door to a previous house I owned once, who left his pos Vanagan parked there for 2-1/2 months. Reason? I had a huge old Ash tree in the parkstrip which provided excellent shade. Boxing him in with our cars didn't matter because he had no intention of moving it anyway.

After tiring of looking at his pos car out of my living room picture window I asked him one day to please move it so I could at least sweep the gutter. He gave me a ration of shit - I gave him 15 minutes to move it. He slammed his door on me.

15 minutes later a PD officer and a tow truck were 'hooking' it up and the officer was writing him a ticket. Reason? His tags were over six months expired and the pos couldn't be in the public right of way. He begged the cop to let him move it - then. The cop said no and handed him the ticket.

He had to not only pay the ticket, but also the tow, impound fee and a days storage to the tow guy, also show proof of current reg and insurance, etc. Cost him around $400.

He never parked there again and moved about a month later.

[ameijers]

(snip)

Chuckle. That brings back memories. The town I went to college in had a rule like that, and publicized it very little. Every time the school went on break, the well-connected towing companies and the cops would scoop up all the innocently parked cars belonging to the kids that caught a ride home, and hold them for ransom at the private towing yards, accumulating exorbinant daily storage fees that would ensure they had first dibs on auction day. (Back then, unlike now, most college cars were cheap beaters, and after 10 days or so, might not be worth ransoming.) I had an old VW Baja I kept at my brother's house, and a neighbor simply hated how it looked, and kept reporting it as abandoned. Me or my brother had to run out several times as tow truck was trying to hook up. A real racket all around, taking advantage of inexperienced college kids.

aem sends...

[Norminn]

I once had a neighbor who parked - one time - on the street directly across the narrow street from my driveway. He also had a garage and driveway and NEVER had parked on the street. The nasty, rainy evening I was in a hurry to go pick up one of my children and pulled out - BAM! Police officer remarked that the fender I hit was packed with Bondo. As rare luck would have it, my insurance lapsed that day at noon. Ins. co. never got my check. Never had trouble with mailing payments other than that one time :o) I got a nasty letter from the state about bond or something, paid his bill very promptly. Scared spitless. Few days after I paid his damages (100# of Bondo :o) there was a new washer and dryer delivered to his house. car never repaired :o)

[John Willis]

On 21 Jun 2005 14:59:02 -0700, [e-mail] scribbled this interesting note:

Yes it is a classic. What year is the car? Is it modified or restored or original condition and unrestored?

I ask because these things make a difference. Personally, I don't like parking on the street since I've seen so many cars hit by unobservant drivers. A poorly maintained Beetle with mismatched fenders and bald tires and dripping oil isn't really worth all that much, unless it is of specific year models. If it were such a wreck (which you say it isn't) I'd say he just didn't care. But this is, by your description, unusual. Perhaps you could go over and ask if everything is ok? Show some concern? Tell him you noticed his nice Beetle was parked on the street for far longer than you've ever seen it there before and you thought perhaps something had happened. Tell him you are concerned because someone might hit it and you know he wouldn't want that.

If he takes care of the car well, this is odd behavior. Ask.

Good luck.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[Ross Mac]

This one's easy...just buy a major beater for 50 bucks or so and park it in front of her house. Let the cards fall as they will and she will be forced to make the first move...If all else fails...donate it and get a write off... Ok...just having fun here...I really would not treat my neighbors this way.....take care all...Ross

[Blue]

I think you have to ignore it unless he makes a practice of it then you have to get devious because nothing irritates an asshole more than doing to him as he did to you.

In my neighborhood the law looks askance on vehicles that are "abandoned" and they define that as parked more than three days. Anyone can complain to the cops about a vehicle and they come out and red tag it and watch it for three days before taking action.

The problem with that is that true assholes know all about it and simply move the car a couple of feet. If he does that he identifies himself as a true asshole and some people just have him tagged again but quickly remove the tag so he doesn't see it. That way he gets towed away as he deserves, never to do it again or even to know what happened.

Of course I would never so that!

[Bob(but not that Bob)]

Worry about something else, and just wait for the old broad to whack the car - he'll move it then.

[Dan C]

Have any of you responders noticed that the OP has not answered any of the suggestions? I'm thinking this Suzie-Q is just another ignorant troll who has had some fun with you all.

[Pat]

Check with your local laws. I had a problem somewhat like yours. My neighbor across the street parked his 4dr F150 in front of his house but also in front of my driveway. He had a double driveway, his wife parked their but he never did. I asked him nicely if he wouldn't park there. the streets are narrow and I had a hard time getting out of my driveway with my truck. He laughed and continued to park there. This neighbor was always calling the cops on kids.

I asked the cops one day if it was legal. They said yes in this unincorporated area, but not in the city.

The problem was solved one night when he came home drunk at 2 am , got in a fight with his wife. jumped in the truck floored it backwards. Thank goodness he turned the wheel. He would have pushed my truck right through my livingroom. He uprooted a 40ft tree between the sidewalk and the street and my mailbox His truck wond up on top of the tree. Tow truck driver would not pull it off because of property damage. Cops came he made his wife say she was driving. It was all on tape from a neighbor, they knew she wasn't driving.

Moral of the story. He never parked there again across the street from my driveway. I got the last laugh , I got a check from his ins. co. for $450 for a tree I wanted out anyway but couldn't afford to have it done. And the county came and cleared it away at no cost.

Pat.

[Curly Sue]

Do you have a shade tree in front of your house?

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[Suzie-Q]

-> ->

-> > I get along with this neighbor just fine but am worried about my

-> > approach should I initiate a conversation. I don't want to come

-> > across as angry and destroy a good relationship.

->

-> Have any of you responders noticed that the OP has not answered any of the

-> suggestions? I'm thinking this Suzie-Q is just another ignorant troll who

-> has had some fun with you all.

Or maybe I just haven't gotten back to my computer until now.

[Suzie-Q]

-> If all this friendly action fails, ask again holding a

-> can of gasoline and a lighter.

->

-> Did anyone even ask if he has currently ANYTHING parked in

-> front of his own home???

Actually he doesn't, but his house is on a curve in the street, so I don't blame him.

-> I had a similar problem with my neighbor, she LOVES parking her

-> car in front of my house (not really much of an issue) but her

-> car is a real piece of sh*t and leaks worse than the EXXON Valdez.

-> You havent seen oil slicks from a car until you've seen this one.

->

-> In any case instead of directly confronting her, I simply started

-> parking

-> my own cars in the street. (I have three) Slowly I started inching my

-> way back and sure enough, she knows that I park my cars now

-> in front of my home and she parks hers in front of hers.

-> (mind you my neighbor didnt even park EVER in their own driveway)

I only have one vehicle and a really big driveway.

-> She's as friendly as ever and didnt even have to directly confront her

-> about it. Once in awhile she's back only because the landscapers

-> come and park directly in front of her own home. No biggie with that.

-> Later on she moves it back.

->

-> Tom

[Suzie-Q]

-> if you talk to him in a nice way about it , he will probably be glad to

-> move it. you know,, waving to your neighbors keeps things freindly to i

-> think. lucas

->

He finally moved it.

[Suzie-Q]

-> ->

-> > My neighbor occasionally parks his car in front of my house.

-> > It usually doesn't stay there for long -- maybe a few hours.

-> > But as of today he has had his car parked in front of my house

-> > for three or four days.

->

-> This isn't even a problem yet. If you mention what you've posted to your

-> neighbor in a friendly manner and they decide they still want to park in

-> front of your house (which is perfectly legal) then you have a bit of a

-> problem.

->

-> Face your fears and go talk to your neighbor. Most likely they have no idea

-> they are causing a problem and will be happy to park somewhere else when you

-> inform them they are.

I did and they did.

[Suzie-Q]

-> Anyone that promotes a web site dedicated to male bashing does come across

-> as angry and has not had good relationships.

Ah shucks. It's all in good fun!

[Suzie-Q]

-> Suzie-Q wrote:

-> > My neighbor occasionally parks his car in front of my house.

-> > It usually doesn't stay there for long -- maybe a few hours.

-> > But as of today he has had his car parked in front of my house

-> > for three or four days.

-> >

-> > Now, I know the street is public and that anyone can sort of

-> > park anywhere (with limits). But besides just not wanting to

-> > look out my window and see his car (an old but nicely maintained

-> > VW bug), two things are happening. He's making it very difficult

-> > for the letter carrier to get to my mailbox. I'm sure she has to

-> > get out of her car to put mail in my box. Second, he's making it

-> > difficult for the elderly woman across the street to back

-> > out of her driveway. She's worried that she'll hit his car.

-> >

-> > I get along with this neighbor just fine but am worried about my

-> > approach should I initiate a conversation. I don't want to come

-> > across as angry and destroy a good relationship.

-> >

-> > Any suggestions?

->

-> Do you have any idea of his reasons for doing this?

Probably because he has several (5, I think)cars and occasionally doesn't have room for all of them in the driveway!

[Suzie-Q]

-> My neighbor occasionally parks his car in front of my house.

-> It usually doesn't stay there for long -- maybe a few hours.

-> But as of today he has had his car parked in front of my house

-> for three or four days.

->

-> Now, I know the street is public and that anyone can sort of

-> park anywhere (with limits). But besides just not wanting to

-> look out my window and see his car (an old but nicely maintained

-> VW bug), two things are happening. He's making it very difficult

-> for the letter carrier to get to my mailbox. I'm sure she has to

-> get out of her car to put mail in my box. Second, he's making it

-> difficult for the elderly woman across the street to back

-> out of her driveway. She's worried that she'll hit his car.

->

-> I get along with this neighbor just fine but am worried about my

-> approach should I initiate a conversation. I don't want to come

-> across as angry and destroy a good relationship.

->

-> Any suggestions?

I spoke with the neighbor logically and politely, as a few of you recommended, and he moved the car immediately. I was still worried that he might not be happy with my request. I did mention the mailbox and elderly woman problems.

No, I'm not a troll. Just someone with many questions/situations for which I find this group extremely helpful.

Thanks to all who replied -- even those of you with not-so-helpful replies. You entertained me.

[Dan C]

So you would think that female bashing is OK too, as long as it's done "in good fun", right?

You ignorant bitch.